Kuiken: Western forests are at an inflection point

Bolstered by a $55.1 million dollar investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have begun the required work of thinning the forest to a stand density the best available science tells us is proper for healthy forests. We’ve begun building fuel breaks around those communities at serious risk for wildfire — an added layer of security for those residents and a location fire fighters can make a stand, and we are moving to protect the critical infrastructure dotting our landscape without which our communities would perish.

All of this is being done in a way that brings our varied stakeholders to the forefront of our efforts. Working in concert with Tuolumne County and the 31-member collaborative Yosemite Stanislaus Solutions as our major partner groups, we can more deftly engage from conception to execution. The challenge before us is vast, and the only way in which we will succeed is by partnering with our stakeholders to find common ground and bring forth the future we all want to see.  Read more here:  https://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/article_0d967b86-fa93-11ed-8edd-8334a80438ec.html?utm_source=uniondemocrat.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Flists%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1685026805&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline